Psalm 115 and the Logic of Blessing

Although not a well-known biblical psalm, Psalm 115 offers significant insights into the character of blessing in Second Temple piety. The psalm's structure and catchword technique highlight a fundamental contrast between Israel's God and the idols of the nations. The intangibility and apparent absence of Israel's God are actually markers of this deity's superiority and involvement in the world. God is present as the reliable recipient of human trust and ultimate source of human blessing. The human act of blessing is a means of "placing"one's self and others within God's good creation, and thus participating in God's ongoing work of redemption. The act of blessing God affirms relationship with God.

Duke Scholars

Author Stephen B. Chapman Divinity School